Golf club



C. WRIGHT Jan. 5, 1937.

GOLF CLUB Filed Jan. 7, 1935 1N VENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

' head supporting end of the shaft UNITED STATES iATENT OFFICE GOLF CLUB Carl Wright, American Geneva, Ohio, assignor to The Fork & Hoe Company,

Cleveland,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January '7, 1935, Serial No. 685

4 Claims.

This invention relates to golf clubs and particularly to golf clubs having metallic shafts.

In golf clubs of the class having metallic or tubular metallic shafts, the smaller diameter or is usually inserted into the bore of a thick walled tubular hosel of the' club head; and it is desirable to prevent breakage at this point of the shaft and for various other reasons which will become apparent to those skilled in the art to effect a gradual merging of the outer surface of the relatively large diameter hosel end portion with the shaft 'atthe small diameter portion thereof adjacent the end of thehosel.

'It an object of thisinvention therefore to provide an improved golf club of the metallic shaft class.

Another object is to provide, in a golf club of the class comprising a tubular metallic shaft inserted into a club head hosel, improved means for effecting a gradual merging together of the outer surface of theliosel and that of theshaft.

Another object is to provide an improved means for effecting the juncture of the head of a golf club with the metallic'shaft thereof which will increase the durability thereof.

Another object is to provide means for joining the resilient metal shaft of a golf club to the head in an improved manner, to cause the flexure of the shaft in portions adjacent the head hosel to be distributed over a greater longitudinal extent of the shaft.

Another object is to provide an improved golf club shaft 'of tubular construction wherein the tendency to other shafts at'or adjacent to the junction of the club head hosel lessened.

Another'object' is to'provide'an improved means for joining the hosel of a golf clubhead to a metallic shaft which will be presentable in appearance while at the sametime having the advantage that' it will function to distribute over a greaterlongitudinal extent of the shaft near the hosel the fiexure thereof which results upon impact of the head with a ball.

'Other objects will be'apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains.

My invention is fully disclosed in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which;

Fig; 1 is an elevational view of the golf shafts embodying my invention;

to the shaft will be greatly gitudinal section a part of the head end of the club of Fig. 1, the view being to a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to a part of Fig. 2 drawn to a still larger scale and illustrating the method of applying my invention to a golf club; 7

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary views similar to Fig. 2, illustrating modifications.

Referring to the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown at l, the golf club shaft preferably tapering from a hand grip 2, at the large end of the 10 shaft toward the club head 3 secured on the small end of the shaft.

The characterictics of the taper of the shaft constitute no essential parts of the present invention and in the embodiment illustrated, the 15 shaft is step-tapered by the provision of short cylindrical sections 4-4 of successively smaller diameter proceeding toward the small end of the shaft, and the lower end portion 5 of the shaft is preferably gradually tapered and the shaft is 20 secured to the head 3 by weldingly fitting or driving the tapering portion 5 into a corresponding tapering bore in the tubular hosel 6 of the club head 3 and secured against displacement therefrom by a transverse pin 1.

The upper end of the hosel 6 provides a transverse shoulder 8; and a fe e construction shown generally telescopic relation with at its lower end as viewed in Fig. 2 upon the .30 shoulder 8 and at its upper end secured to the shaft. This ferrule construction will now be described together with the method of making and assembling it in the club.

Before the tapering shaft portion 5 is wedging- .35 1y driven into the hosel 4 as above described, a ferrule portion ll generally tubular in form and of metal, preferably brass, is telescoped over the lower end of the shaft portion 5 and moved along the shaft to a suitable distance from the shaft 40 end at which the internal bore thereof fits the tapering shaft portion 5 and is then soldered or brazed or otherwise integrally permanently and rigidly secured to the shaft portion 5.

A ferrule portion It] generally tubular and of .45 metal preferably aluminum is then telescoped over the end of the shaft moved therealong until the upper end thereof abuts as at l2 with the lower end of the ferrule portion H. The lower end portion l3 of the ferrule portion ll, over a substantial axial extent thereof, is cylindrical and of smaller diameter than hosel 6 or of the shoulder 8; and above the cylindrical portion IS, the ferrule portion ll] is of abruptly increased diameter providing a shoulder I 4 and from the shoulder M to on the lower end of the ferrule, and by gradually the extreme upper end I5 of the ferrule portion tapering th wall thickness of the ferrule upi of flight and better direction.

It is wellknown that sheath material such as o provide the fer ule portions Wand: H501 celluloid may, by heating andforming or modelthe form and other characteristics above referred me processes be formed as just described for the I p f ly p oc d by hefiprocessillussheath I6, andinasmuch as such processes form trated. in: Fig 3; The. upp ul P 11 111 no essential part-of the present invention, the is madeinitially in the formvoftattubmhavinm a further described herei form is:telescoped' overthe; shaftandisolderedor After the'sheath I6 is applied as above debrazedinplaoe as shown at; lld'Flgzt3; Theater.- scribed, a short cylindrical sleeve IQ of celluloid rule portion Wis then telescopedxoven theshaft or the like andof selected color, preferably cond is more; n fm h n l 38: V

tapering shaft portion 5 is driven into the taperface indicated at 211m dottedline, the-x-upperfifi I shoulder 20 of the sheath I6 provided by forming ground to joint each other;onzan-unbrokenlsure :40 the sheath material over the shoulder I4 of the face. a ferrule; The pin 1 is then driven through the In the modification oful igns. the upperendvof hosel and shaft end as described above. the hosel 6 is provided withza. shallow recess upon When a' golf shaft having the construction the bottom 22: of which" the lowerend -o1,=: the above described is used in play, and when upon cylindrical portion :l3-o12-the, ferrule; abuts; The ,45

construction Bby the shoulder 8of the hosel; and shoulder 2070f the sleevelit By this construe-" shafts wherein" the ferrule itself is provided for the sheath lta terminates after it is: turned .55

In the constructionabove described however, it 251's disposed between the extreme upper end 430 llithe ferrule cannot shift along the shaft; and der I l and is clamped: therebetween. e by continuing the sheath I6? by its portion 18 The mode of operation of' xthe forms 01 F135;

into: the sleeve 19,: andby rigidly clamping the 4 and 5 will'be substantially the same as that 565 en'dsof the sleeve is upon the shoulder 20 of the of the form of Fig; 2.

Esh'eath andupon theendshoulder 8of the hosel, In the several 'embodlmentsof my invention from" the sleeve l9'nor develop an unsightly gap portion H. If preferred, the sheath may extendthe hosel shoulder 8. to the hand grip 2 thereon. Such a sheath lsfin Furthermore; by integrally joining the upper dicated in broken linesiat I 6b in Fig-5i end of the ferrule 9 by its portion H' to the shaft It will beunderstood-thatin' many respects' the -andxby abutting the: hoselupper. end shoulder 8 embodimentof my inventiontillustratediand d'escribed may be modified without departing from the spirit thereof or sacrificing the advantages thereof and without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a golf club, a shaft, a head secured to the shaft, a generally tubular metal ferrule telescoped with and substantially fitting the shaft, the ferrule being in two parts abutting end to end, one part abutting at an end portion thereof with a portion of the head and being of light weight metal such as aluminum and the other part of the ferrule being of brass or like material and soldered, brazed or the like to the shaft at a point remote from the head, and the head abutting ferrule part being sufficiently rigid to substantially increase the resistance of the shaft portion enclosed thereby to flexing stresses.

2. In a golf club, a head comprising a tubular hosel, a metal shaft secured in the hosel, a generally tubular ferrule on the shaft adjacent the head, comprising two parts abutting end to end, one part being of relatively thick walled tubular form and of light Weight metal such as aluminum and abutting at an end portion upon an end portion of the hosel, the other part being of relatively thin wall tubular form composed of brass or the like, soldered or brazed or the like to the metal of the shaft.

3. In a golf club, a shaft, a head secured to the shaft a generally tubular metal ferrule telescoped with and substantially fitting the shaft, the ferrule being of two parts abutting end to end, one part being of light weight metal such as aluminum and the other part being of a heavier weight metal such as brass or like material, which heavier metal is secured by soldering, brazing, or the like, to the shaft.

4. In a, golf club, a shaft, a head secured to the shaft, a generally tubular metal ferrule telescoped with and substantially fitting the shaft, the ferrule being of two parts abutting end to end, one part being of light weight metal such I as aluminum and the other part being of a heavier weight metal such as brass or like material, which heavier metal is secured by soldering, brazing, or the like, to the shaft, a sheath adapted to be disposed over the ferrule, said ferrule being formed with a reduced shoulder portion which portion said sheath is formed to fit around and under.

CARL WRIGHT. 

